


The End of Our Universe

by SquirrelKiln



Series: Ben 10 Angst, Baby [1]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Blood, Gen, I'm so sorry, Mercy Killing, My bed post broke while I was writing this it was a sign from god to stop but I DIDN'T, a lot of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquirrelKiln/pseuds/SquirrelKiln
Summary: In which the adventures come to an end.
Relationships: Rook Blonko & Ben Tennyson
Series: Ben 10 Angst, Baby [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649788
Comments: 19
Kudos: 53





	The End of Our Universe

**Author's Note:**

> Before you yell at me I was crying the whole time I was typing this. I'm just glad it's short.

Rook could quantify the time he had been partners with Ben if he tried, the exact date was lying in his latent knowledge and was accessible through a bit of effort. On the other hand, he couldn't count all the times he feared for Ben's life if he tried. All the times Ben was close to death, the brushes with eternity that Ben always seemed to emerge from with a signature grin placed proudly on his lips. A small part of Rook foolishly believed that Ben may have been immortal like the rumors had said.

Ben had spit in the face of death hundreds, no, _thousands_ of times before. But now? Now, Ben had pushed his luck too far.

Both Plumbers stared in a silent stupor at the metal pole protruding from Ben's abdomen. The white fabric of his hoodie seeped with a thick, ugly red around the unforgiving wound. The taste of iron in Ben's mouth, while familiar, was intrusive and only another reminder of where he was.

" _Rook,_ " Ben choked out pathetically. His words garbled as blood came up his throat. Rook felt unnaturally still as he watched his partner turn his head to spit blood onto the ground beside him. His lips and teeth were stained almost instantly. Rook always forgot how intense human blood was until he saw it coming from the one he cared for.

The Revonnahgander's instincts forced him to his knees besides his partner. His vision blurred and his steady hands shook--a closer look at the injury provided nothing more than additional fear. With everything the partnership had been through, both had forgotten that it would end. After all, Ben wasn’t invincible. He wasn’t immortal… But after everything he’s been through, why couldn’t he be? All the hardships the universe and her inhabitants put Ben through would certainly dignify some divine intervention, some reason why Ben shouldn’t be dying.

“It-it is going to be okay. Just stay as you are, I will call for a medical unit immediately,” Rook’s words came out as unnatural on his tongue as he fumbled to use his communicator for just that. He’d probably said similar reassuring words to civilians before. He hated to think that Ben would see the same fate as the faceless individuals Rook made himself forget.

Ben’s red lips curled into an inappropriately soft smile. His chest rose and fell quickly, his form shaking ever-so-slightly, but his expression was peaceful.

“... You know they’re not gonna make it.” Ben spoke after forcing a heavy gulp of blood back down. Rook’s eyes widened. “You get a feel for this sort of thing… Playin’ chicken with death is finally coming back to haunt me, huh, partner?”

“Ben, do not speak that way!” Rook insisted, taking his partner’s slack hand. “The medical unit will be here shortly.”

“We’re too far from Plumber bases…” Ben took in a breath that scraped on its way in. Tears finally started to dot his eyes, quickly starting to pour down his face. “Rook… It _hurts._ It hurts so fucking much.”

“I know, Ben, but it will be fine soon.” Rook gently caressed Ben’s face to try and give him any comfort. The alien found his own comfort as Ben’s eyes half shut and the human leaned into the contact as much as he could with limited movement. “Like you say, it always is.”

“... Not this time,” Ben whispered. Rook’s eyes burned with tears he refused to shed. “... You knew this could happen, Blonko. You signed up for it, too.”

“How can you be so calm?” Rook asked as his hand clenched Ben’s just a bit tighter. Ben gave him that same tired smile in response.

“I know you can’t see it, but there’s broken… something cutting in my back right now.” He sucked in another ragged breath. “I can feel it when I breathe.”

“Transform, if you are an alien you can--” Rook began.

“Stop. Please.” Ben’s eyes shut. Rook shut his mouth immediately, staring in hurt and confusion. “... You were the best partner a guy could ask for...”

“Don’t say that,” Rook pleaded. “We’ll continue to be partners, and-and--”

“... Which is why I can’t ask this of anyone else.” Ben’s green eyes opened. Even now they radiated energy and light. “Blonko, I--... I need you to kill me.”

“ _NO!_ ” Rook shouted, lurching back. Ben winced at the reaction he had been expecting. Rook’s shock faded into a pathetic state. “I… How could you ask that of me..?”

“It hurts _so much,_ ” Ben’s words hardly escaped his lips in a whimper. He lost his calm expression for a pained one instead. “I-I can’t do this… The nearest vehicles are hours away…”

“They will find a way! They have to!” The fur on Rook’s face soon prickled as tears poured from his eyes.

“... I really do love you,” Ben murmured. “... It’s okay. After all we’ve seen, d’you really think we won’t see each other again..?” His lips pulled up in a small smile. The vibrant green in his eyes began to dull and he couldn’t keep the smile up for long. No matter how much he didn’t want to admit it, Rook knew Ben was right. He wasn’t going to make it til the Plumbers arrived.

“ _I don’t want to lose you,_ ” Rook whispered, pressing his forehead into Ben’s. A simple gesture of affection that the two shared so often… Rook didn’t want it to be the last.

“I’m sorry,” Ben said one last time. Rook drew back from the contact long after its normal duration. His body felt numb as his hand went for the Proto-tool--the familiar tool was anything but now. A painful foreign object that his chest told him to discard to the side, to instead comfort Ben, to use some hidden Plumber method to save his partner.

Rook’s training couldn’t have prepared him for this. _Nothing_ could have prepared him for this. He slowly aimed the muzzle at his best friend, his teammate, his universe. His breath choked out as he sobbed uncontrollably in the action.

Ben gave a final smile. One last, _it’ll be okay, I promise._ His green eyes glanced down at the weapon before shutting. He let out a smooth breath.

He didn’t take any more.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm SORRY.
> 
> Edit: The reason Ben didn't transform is because he couldn't; if he were able to transform, he would have taken the injury as an alien that could handle it better than he could.
> 
> Thank you to user booping_the_snoot for reminding me of this! It's a bit of a plot hole without the explanation.


End file.
